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ஐந்நூறு கோப்பைத் தட்டுகள் has tangents to grand themes like history and politics, maybe even guilt and retribution. But the one sharp theme it directly deals with is the psychology of bitterness. Here, the fall of Hyderabad’s old order, and the bitterness of a man who has lost everything with it, is reflected through the image of a dove. Fragile and grounded because of its clipped wings, the bird sort of resembles the protagonist Syed. Syed is not only poor, but he’s also haunted by his past choices. Ashokamitran beautifully captures that the bitterness and resentment in Syed’s heart is more corrosive than the dire economic state of his family. Here’s a being robbed of flight, standing among its family, surviving only because the scatter grains from the community, just like Syed. But the bird’s helplessness doesn’t provoke pity in Syed, but it stirs anger. For him, the bird is a mirror, showing him his own clipped fate, his own dependency.
The real sting lies in the dove’s calm: இந்த முட்டாள் புறா இவ்வளவு குழந்தை குட்டிகளை வைத்துக்கொண்டு, சிறகையும் ஒடித்துக்கொண்டு ஒரு கவலையும் இல்லாமல் இருக்கிறது. It doesn’t rage, doesn’t scheme to fly away to another land. It accepts survival on meager terms, and is at peace with itself. This is something Syed cannot bring himself to do. In his eyes, the bird begins to blur into Narayanan, a good natured acquaintance who has soured on Syed because of broken promises: ஸையதின் மனம் கொதித்தது. அந்தப் புறாவைப் போன்றவன்தான் நாராயணன்… அம்மாதிரி இருப்பவர்களுக்குக் கஷ்டங்கள் வருவதுபோல இருந்தாலும் அந்தக் கஷ்டங்களை எதிர்த்துப் போராடி வெற்றியடைய அவர்களுக்குத் தைரியமும் சக்தியும் உண்டு. ஸையது மாதிரி இருப்பவர்களுக்கு இருதயம் ஒரு பாலை வனம். Narayanan, like the dove, carries a kind of naive optimism which makes him resilient. But Syed, because of the desert inside him, is unable to bloom neither in sorrow nor in joy. He doesn’t have a reason to wake up other than to feed his family.
Ashokamitran throws a lot at what it means to survive and what it means to live. The dove comes close to death, but escapes because of… naivete, a simple optimistic heart, chance, the universe conspiring or maybe even the grace of life. But a bitter, small, resentful heart is how you can ensure you never live.
Transverse 